Missing
Maria Theresa Santos
Santos, approximately 2004; Aurangzeb Manjra in 2010
Date and time person was reported missing : 10/15/2004
Missing location (approx) :
Los Angeles, California
Missing classification : Endangered Missing
Gender : Female
Ethnicity :
Asian
DOB : 03/25/1960 (61)
Age at the time of disappearance: 44 years old
Height / Weight : 5'3, 115 pounds
Distinguishing characteristics, birthmarks, tattoos
: Asian female. Black hair, brown eyes. Santos is of Filipino descent. Her ears are pierced.
Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : Santos was last seen leaving home en route to work in Los Angeles, California at 6:00 a.m. on October 15, 2004. She never arrived and has never been heard from again. She left behind a young daughter and is described as a devoted mother and responsible woman who would not have left without warning.
In May 2010, Aurangzeb Aiyoob "Simon" Manjra was charged with killing Santos and another woman, Esperanza Torio, who disappeared in 1996. Her body was found dumped on a roadside in Mexico a few days later, but it wasn't identified until 2009. Santos's body has never been recovered.
A photo of Manjra is posted with this case summary. He is an immigrant from Pakistan who worked as a salesman, and had dated both women at the time each one disappeared.
Manjra reached a plea agreement with prosecutors in December 2013; he pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in Torio's case and second-degree murder in Santos's, in exchange of a maximum of sentence of 25 years to life in prison. If he'd been convicted on the original charges he would have faced life without parole.
Foul play is suspected in Santos's disappearance due to the circumstances involved.
Other information and links : ncy
Los Angeles Police Department
213-896-1800
September 2021 updates and sources
California Attorney General's Office
Los Angeles Police Department
The Glendale News-Press
Glendale Police Department
The Los Angeles Daily News
The Los Angeles Times
October 12, 2004. December 3, 2013; Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : updated.
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